On 21 March 1997, in Drongtoe village under Lhoka Gonkar county south of Lhasa, 23 Tibetans died in a boat disaster. The Chinese authorities had ordered 123 local inhabitants to work on the plantation of eucalyptus trees in the area north of Yarlung Tsangpo (river). While travelling to and from the work plantation they were required to cross the Yarlung…
Ngawang Sangpo joined the Drepung monastery in 1983. In the first week of May 1991, Lhasa City PSB officials and monastery authorities detained Ngawang and two other monks for more than seven months on suspicion for hoisting the Tibetan National flag in the main prayer hall of the Drepung Monastery. In 1996 he was again arrested and sentenced to two…
Tibet’s environment is increasingly under threat of destruction by China’s actions of mining and development. The Tibetan people are not consulted on the development and rarely benefit from the land’s use. They are also prevented from speaking out. When he was 18 years old Phuntsok Chosang was imprisoned in Meldro Gongkar for protesting against China’s environmental practices in his hometown.…
Radio Lhasa and the Tibet Daily recently reported that Lhasa Public Security Bureau launched a “Spring Action” campaign on 10 April 1997. The campaign aims ostensibly to strike down on crime and corruption in and around Lhasa and to “uphold the social standard and morale”. The campaign is a follow-on from “Strike Hard” launched in April 1996 which has been…
Phuntsok reports that unique animal species in Thalung areas in Gyama Shang under Meldro Gonkar county are threatened with execution not just by mining, but also as a result of Chinese practices. While Tibetans are strictly prohibited from possessing firearms, Chinese officials routinely hunt rabbit, musk deer, bharal (blue) sheep, white lipped deer, and gowa (Tibetan gazelle) in the area.…
Britain recently announced that it would join Denmark in backing a resolution to be submitted to the UN Commission on Human Rights. The resolution calls on China to improve its human rights record. The Danish decision met with immediate threats from China of possible economic, trade, and diplomatic sanctions. Denmark, supported by twenty five other countries, tabled the resolution on…
Tibetans working as government tour guides in Lhasa have lost their jobs because of unauthorised trips to India. Between 69 and 72 tour guides, many of whom have held their positions for several years, have thus far been affected by the Government’s decree, issued in February, 1997. To work as a tour guide in Tibet, each guide must pass a…
Tibet continues to face the ruthless crackdown by the Chinese Government on any pro-independence activist. Because Tibetan politics is so closely linked with Tibetan religion, the focus of the harsh Chinese crackdown falls primarily on the nuns and monks. Gyaltsen Dolkar is one such example. She received an eight-year increase in her prison term for recording songs and messages to…
On the 15th day of Tibetan New Year (8th February) two monks held a short protest in front of the Jhokhang (Central Cathedral). Not even 3 minutes had passed when they were arrested and taken by the PSB (Public Security Bureau) men. Tsering Jhong is the name of a nunnery in Lhoka Choenkye County in Lhoka region consisting of 20…
A monk interviewed in early April this year in Dharamsala gave a disturbing account of new incidents of violations of cultural and religious rights in Tibet. Strike Hard Campaign in … Monks in Dechen Choekor Monastery at Lho-Gonkhar in Lhoka region have been issued red cards in conjunction with the Strike Hard “Political Re-education” campaign. The red card is given…
Ngawang Sangpo is a 31-year-old from Medro Gongkar County under Lhasa City. A monk at Drepung Monastery, Ngawang was arrested on 5 September 1996 and sentenced to two years imprisonment for indulging in pro-independence activities. Namgyal Dhondup from Phulung Sub-county in Pashoe County in Chamdo region was arrested on 22 January 1997. Dramdul, aged 57 or 58 years, was one…